Novi Sad

Novi Sad (Serbian: Нови Сад/Novi Sad) is the capital of Vojvodina, the northern Autonomous Province of Serbia, and the second largest city in Serbia. Situated on the Danube River between Budapest and Belgrade, it is a treasured regional and cultural centre. Novi Sad has a population of around 300,000 people.

Freedom square (Trg Slobode)

Understand

History

The area of Novi Sad was inhabited since the distant past - the found remains of old settlements date back to the Neolithic period (5000 BCE). Before the middle ages, the region was inhabited by different tribes, including Celts, Romans, and Huns. Slavic tribes (including Serbs) settled the region around Novi Sad mainly in the 6th and 7th century. The region was under the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th and 12th century and afterwards under the Ottomans from 1526 until 1687, when Habsburg Monarchy took over the control.

The settlement was declared a "free royal city” by the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa in 1748, and it gained its present names Novi Sad, Újvidék, and Neoplanta, meaning “new plantation” in Serbian, Hungarian, and Latin, respectively. For much of the 18th and 19th centuries, this was the largest Serb-inhabited city in the world, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I in 1918, when it became part of Kingdom of Serbia. During World War II, it was under Hungarian occupation.

After the World War II, the city went through rapid industrialization and its population more than doubled in the period between World War II and the breakup of Yugoslavia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Devastated by NATO bombardment that lasted 78 days during the Kosovo War of 1999, Novi Sad was left without any of its three Danube bridges, and with significant damage to its infrastructure including communications, water, and electricity. Residential areas were cluster-bombed several times while its oil refinery was bombarded daily.

Novi Sad has mostly recovered from the 1990s and it has grown strongly since 2001, shifting its economy from industry-driven to the tertiary sector. It is home of the national headquarters of numerous banks, third largest insurance company in Serbia, and major energy companies. Novi Sad is also a growing information technology center in Serbia.

Climate

Novi Sad has continental climate, with four distinct seasons.

Winters are cold, with temperatures being below zero for a couple of weeks per year, often accompanied with snow (which stays for a couple of days or more at a time). The first snow usually falls in late November/early December.

Springs are short and rainy. On the first warm and sunny day after the winter, usually in March, people of Novi Sad come out to the city centre to have a drink in a cafe in Zmaj Jovina street, or take a walk on the promenade next to the Danube river.

Summers often arrive abruptly, with temperatures above 25°C being very common, starting as early as May. If the weather becomes too hot, you can have a swim at Štrand, a very well-maintained public beach on the river Danube, popular by the locals. If you want to have a proper swim, outdoor pool at Spens is an option, go early in the morning to avoid the crowds. Short heavy rains occur from time to time in the summer, cooling the air for a couple of hours. The weather remains warm until the middle of September or later.

Autumns arrive usually by the beginning of October, and are not too cold, with the temperatures between 10 and 20°C. The rain is not uncommon in this period, however there are many sunny days too. The leaves changing the colours and falling from the trees make Novi Sad quite beautiful, especially in the parks and on the promenade next to the Danube river.

Get in

Novi Sad has good transport connections with nearby cities thanks to its great position. It is located about 80 km to the northwest of Belgrade, about 300 km from Budapest, 424 km from Ljubljana, 309 km from Zagreb, 548 km from Podgorica, 480 km from Sofia, 150 km from Timisoara (Romania), 100 km from the border town (with Hungary) of Subotica and about 100 km from the Romanian border town of Jimbolia.

By plane

Novi Sad doesn't have an airport and the closest one is in Belgrade (about 70 km away). Some taxi companies run regular cars between Belgrade Airport and Novi Sad, e.g. Autoturist tel. [phone], Belgrade Airport Transfer.

Other useful airports with low-cost flights might be Budapest's (247 km from Novi Sad, serving numerous low-cost airlines, the best way to get to Western/Northern Europe by plane), and Timisoara's (126 km away, serving Wizzair)

By train

Novi Sad is on the railway line between Budapest (6 hours), Subotica and Belgrade (2 hours). This line is greatly disrupted by engineering works throughout 2019.

🌍 Train station, Bulevar Jaše Tomića 4, ☎ [phone]. (updated Aug 2018)

By bus

Within Serbia, Novi Sad is connected by bus to all other major cities. The most frequent route is the one from Belgrade, with buses leaving every 15 minutes during peak hours and a total of nearly 100 journeys each day in each direction.

Internationally, the city has frequent bus connections to Sofia in Bulgaria, Budapest in Hungary, Zagreb, Vukovar, and Osijek in Croatia, Sarajevo and Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Budva, Tivat, Podgorica, Herceg Novi in Montenegro. It is also reachable from Germany and Austria.

For urban, domestic long-distance and international bus timetables in Serbian and English, visit the web site of JGSP Novi Sad, the city public transport company at .

🌍 Central bus station, Bulevar Jaše Tomića 6 (near the train station). (updated Sep 2017)

By car

E-75 highway that connects Belgrade and Budapest passes by some 5 km from Novi Sad. Toll fare for passenger cars coming from Belgrade is RSD 240. Prices for other types of vehicle (bus, truck) are higher.

If you want to go in the direction of Zagreb, Ljubljana take E-70 highway which is some 40 km southwest of Novi Sad.

By bike

The cycling route EuroVelo 6 connects Novi Sad to Hungary and to Belgrade by following the Danube river. Novi Sad has dedicated cycle-paths along most of its avenues.

Get around

On foot

The city centre is quite small and most of the interesting sights, bars and hotels are all within easy walking distance. There are plenty of street maps, especially in the centre, so you can find your way easily.

By taxi

Taxis are not overly expensive (by Western standards), the minimum fare varies between RSD 80 and 100, with a cross-city trip typically costing RSD 150-200. It helps to have the address written out although many taxi drivers speak fair, sometimes even excellent, English. However, be careful of taxis unaffiliated with one of the major firms (especially at the train station), or you may pay up to four times more than your fare should be. Some good taxi companies: Pan, Vojvodjani, SOS, Delta, Novus, Naš, Lav.

By bus

Novi Sad has an excellent bus service. Ticket for one ride (no matter how far you go as long you don't change the bus) costs RSD 55 and is bought from the driver.

See

Petrovaradin fortress panorama

Petrovaradin fortress in the spring

• 🌍 Fortress of Petrovaradin (On the right bank of the Danube). A fortress that no enemy has ever taken, it now contains a museum, "Muzej Grada Novog Sada" (Novi Sad City Museum) gathering all ancient objects of the region from the prehistorical era until today, large number of small art studios and living spaces of artists, underground military galleries - corridors, few clubs and few cafes and a delicatessen. It also has a small Observatory and Planetarium, open on Saturdays from 19:00-00:00. The observatory is open when skies are clear, while the Planetarium, which is near the Museum, is open every Saturday. The staff are young, fun and speak excellent English. The 5-star hotel and three restaurants offer beautiful views of the Danube and of Novi Sad, and have recently been reopened, after extensive renovation and refurbishment works.  
• 🌍 Old Town Hall, Trg Slobode. 
• 🌍 Church of the Great Martyr St. George, Pašićeva street. Serbian Orthodox church.  
• 🌍 Name of Mary Church, Trg Slobode. Catholic church.  
• 🌍 Novi Sad Synagogue, Jevrejska street. Beautiful synagogue in the center of the city.  

Museums

• 🌍 Foreign Art Collection, 29 Dunavska. Tu-Su 09:00-16:00. M closed. This is the largest museum collection of foreign art in Serbia. In 1966, Doctor Branko Ilić donated his art collection of 136 paintings of foreign artists, 279 pieces and sculptures, period furniture and other items of applied arts to the town of Novi Sad and the Province. The legacy consists of the works of Western European schools from the 16th century until the end of the 19th century, mostly from the area of Central Europe (France, Germany, Italy and Austria). 
• 🌍 Vojvodina Museum, 36-37 Dunavska St, ☎ [phone], [phone]. Tu-F 09:00-19:00, Sa Su 09:00-14:00. Entry price for foreigners RSD 100, or RSD 200 with an English speaking guide. Vojvodina from Paleolithic up to the 20th century. Also, there's Dinaric Ethnic house "Brvnara" in Bački Jarak (15 km north from Novi Sad).  

Nearby

• 🌍 Dvorac Dundjerski. Old wonderfully preserved castle, situated to the north of Novi Sad. 

Do

• EXIT Festival. July. This festival, founded in 2000 as an onset to the democratic revolution in the country, attracts more and more visitors every year. It has a wider variety of music genres such as Rock, Dance, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Folk, and Techno. Many world famous bands played on the festival (Slayer, Moloko, Iggy Pop, Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang-Clan, Public Enemy, Billy Idol, Pet Shop Boys, The Cult, HIM and many DJs from around Europe and Asia) and in 2004 it was listed as the biggest cultural event of South-Central/Eastern Europe. 
• A stroll around the city's imposing boulevards and along the Danube river, for example the route Kralja Aleksandra - Trg Slobode - Zmaj Jovina - Dunavska - Beogradski Kej - Kej Žrtava Racije
• If the weather is nice, sit down at one of the cafés around Spens and enjoy
• The Mountaineering club Naftaš usually organizes a hike on Saturday or Sunday on Fruska Mountain and in the Novi Sad vicinity. mailto:[e-mail] GPS tracks of regular hiking paths is available on PD Naftaš website
• The Železnicar Association of mountaineers and skiers organizes a hiking trip every Sunday on Fruska Mountain and in the Novi Sad vicinity. Trg Galerija 4, 529 978 mailto:[e-mail]
• Must visit in summer - "Strand" - means beach, the most beautiful sand beach on the Danube river! It is open usually 15 May-15 Sep.

Buy

• Coats good quality (particularly for the harsh winter) and very cheap.
• Leather goods at the Manual Company, a modern franchise based on high quality luxury leather, handmade at affordable prices. Various shops, one at Zmaj Jovina 18
• Quality goods, especially sportswear, can be found at Spens
• Mercator (shopping mall)
• Merkur
• 🌍 Sad Novi Bazaar, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina, 1. M—Sa 09:00-21:00, Su 10:00-18:00. Shopping mall at the city center (updated Feb 2018)
• NewNork (renovated shopping mall at the city center across the street from the Opera House)
• Futoška pijaca and Riblja pijaca are two open-air markets in the city center where you can buy cheap clothes, local fresh produce and some groceries imported from Hungary.

Eat

After a hearty breakfast with meat, Serbians traditionally work eight hours straight before having their "lunch" between 15:00-18:00. This is by far the biggest meal of the day, with huge quantities of soup, roasted meat and potatoes, and a pickle salad as a side dish. Restaurants are typically open until 22:00.

Sandwiches & pancakes

• 🌍 Frustuk bar, Novi Sad, 021/522 777 (corner Petra Drapsina and Laze Kostica). Excellent vegetarian and non-vegetarian sandwiches! 
• Maja - Here you can buy Novi Sad's trademark sandwich "Index". In a place next to it, you can eat good gyros. Situated close to Novosadski Sajam (Novi Sad Fair).
• Disney - Pancakes.
• 🌍 Balans palačinke, Jevrejska 42, ☎ [phone]. Pancakes for take away! (updated Mar 2018)

Snacks

• Sultans of Istanbul - Baklava Carstvo - Maksima Gorkog 1a, Lokal II - Best Baklavas in town, eat in or take away.
• Pizzeria Adrijana - Zmaj Jovina 1
• Pizza & Gyros "Stomi" - Braće Popović 8 (Novi Sad Fair) - Delicious gyros and pizza.
• Good Food - cheap burgers, sandwiches and gyros, Jevrejska 3 in the city center
• Obelix - Futoški put 59 - All kinds of Grill, burgers, ćevap (kebab). Very popular place.
• Dottore per la pizza - Maksima Gorkog 10 - Best pizza in town, also hot-dogs and crepes.
• Jefta - one of the most popular places to eat a hamburger.
• Bubi - one of the most popular places to eat a hamburger. Often is very crowded. Situated close to Novosadski Sajam (Novi Sad Fair) or at the Vojvodina fotball stadium
• Pekara "Djani" - Bakery (you can buy burek here). Rase Radujkova 10, Novo Naselje
• Cezar pizza - Modene 2
• Amigos Chicken - Amigos Wings - Chicken wings are spoken of highly. Stevana Sremca br.1
• Caribic Pizza - CARIBIC pizzeria, is a restaurant with a tradition dating from 1992. The restaurant offers a wide range of pizzas. Within a restaurant there is a well known pizza cut service that is preparing fresh pizza cuts and is open 24/7. Locations in Novi Sad: Trg Slobode 4, Trg Carice Milice 4, Jevrejska 35, Stražilovska 35.

Budget

• 🌍 Stevča soul food, Grckoskolska 7. 
• 🌍 Mali Niš, Fruškogorska 16, ☎ [phone]. (updated Sep 2017)
• Niš, Jovana Popovića 27, 504 650
• Marina, Trg Mladenaca 4, 424-353. very nice restaurant just few minutes from the centre of Novi Sad. Pleasant, with terrace and good food.
• Bor (The Pine), Temerinski put 57a, 412-424.
• Jet Set, Temerinski put 41, 414-511.
• Doria, Sutjeska 2. Cafe/pizzeria. Good pizzas and pastas, RSD 350-500. Near the sports stadium.
• Alaska koliba Kamenička ada 1,365-683.
• Dunav, Kamenička ada bb, 365-683.
• Lipa, Svetozara Miletića 7-9 (Under the lime-tree), 615-259.
• Chicken Tikka, on the Vojvodiina stadium, near building SPENS. Nice and pleasant.
• Staro zdanje, Trg Marije Trandafil 1, 527 040
• 🌍 McDonald's, Trg Slobode 3, 021/423 938. 
• Kentucky Fried Chicken, BIG shopping mall
• Konoba - delicious fast-food experts. Awesome staff, very tasty food.
• Leskovacki Rostilj, Bulevar Oslobodjenja. Serbian version of a hamburger. Cheap, tasty and filling.
• Mediteraneo Trattoria. 8, Rezervacije 021/526-322 Dostava 021/6612-621. Sweet Italian restaurant in center of Novi Sad.Ise Bajica 
• 🌍 Burek+, Rumenačka 106, ☎ [phone]. M-F 05:00-17:00, Sa 05:00-12:00. Tasty traiditional burek. (updated Mar 2018)

Mid-range

• Secuan First Chinese restaurant in Novi Sad. Expensive for local standards, Dunavska 16 Novi Sad 529-693
• Ribarsko ostrvo (Fisherman's Island) Kamenička ada bb Novi Sad 365-683
• Čerčil Natoševićeva 1 Novi Sad 525 132
• Derbi Sutjeska 2 Novi Sad 611-347
• 2 Štapića - Chinese take-out. Situated near SPENS on corner of Cara Lazara and Fruškogorska streets.
• Surabaja Indonesian restaurant, behind the church. Primorska 26 Novi Sad 413-400
• Fontana Excellent traditional meat restaurant. RSD 90 for great bowl of soup, RSD 290 for traditional Bosnian Cevapcici (ground meat skewers) and RSD 390 for a huge mixed grill. Staff very friendly, nice terrace with fountain in the summer. Also hotel. Nikole Pašića 17 Novi Sad 621-779
• A'dam Excellent new place, very tasty food. Laze Teleckog 28 Novi Sad 472-7704

Splurge

• Dukat (The Ducat). Đorđa Rajkovića 12 Novi Sad 525-190 
• Jatak Danila Kisa 13, one of the finest restaurants in the region. Prices range from €10-20 per main course
• Zeppelin - Kej Zrtava Racije bb, Lovely restaurant and Cafe on a ship on the Danube with a great look at Petrovaradin fortress and with quality cuisine offering wide variety of meals.
• Salas 84 - excellent, about 30 km from Novi Sad to the north-east. It's worth to see it!
• 🌍 Žal za mladost, Somborska 189, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 10:00-01:00. An authentic Serbian restaurant with pre-1930s atmosphere. The food is a mixture of traditional and modern Serbian cuisine. (updated Apr 2016)

Sweets

• Poslastičarnica Figaro, Mite Ružića Street, behind church in parallel street to Zmaj Jovina. 30 RSD for nice piece of pastry and 50 RSD for Espresso.
• Cafe Poslastičarnica Twin, Zmaj Jovina 8. Excellent cakes and coffee!
• Mozart Cafe - Cakes, ice cream and sweets. Bulevar Oslobođenja 46.
• Europa - Ice cream and sweets. Situated in city center.
• Vremeplov - meaning "Time machine", Bulevar Oslobodjenja (next to EPS building), Wonderful 1920s looking place, but with high prices for local standard, not followed by high quality of food.

Vegetarian

• Green House, ☎ [phone]. Vegetarian snacks, sandwiches, muffins, cakes. Vojvode Knicánina 1. 

Drink

As a university town, Novi Sad is known for a lively bar scene. There are lots of nice bars in the small streets to the west of Zmaj Jovina, around Njegoševa and Grčkoškolska streets.

Outdoor drinking (in summer): at Zmaj Jovina/Dunavska (slightly more relaxed) and at the sports stadium (locally referred to as Silicon Valley because of the alleged preponderance of breast implants)

• Lager & Wine, Ulica Svetozara Miletića 17. Beautiful bar/pub with supreme selection of international beer and wine with food to pair with. 
• Martha's Pub, Ulice Laze Teleckog. The best honey rakija in town and one of the most popular pubs with an upstairs bar and patio and downstairs bar. A "must go" to try the honey rakija. 
• Bar Kaž'te, Kečigina 1, Ribarsko ostrvo. 
• Cuba Libre, Laze Telečkog 13, ☎ [phone]. (updated Aug 2017)
• Trafika Lively young atmosphere. Ulica Laze Telečkog.
• "RST" Cafe Club regularly changing programs, from open jam sessions over romantic evenings to domestic rock and pop bands
• Trema (Stage fright) Probably the largest bar in Novi Sad, musical events, mixed audience. In the Serbian national theatre. Behind the entrance, take the stairs to the left. Pozorišni trg 1 Novi Sad 451-232
• Bistro Ulica Modene, extremely dark bar next to Cezar Pizza but fairly relaxed atmosphere inside. Youngish, slightly alternative crowd.
• Sistem I dance/pick up bar, expensive and posh dress. Ulica Modene.
• Adresa cocktail bar, stylish crowd. Ulica Modene.
• Cafe "The Sting", e-mail: [e-mail]. Vojvodina Stadium 458-155 
• Foxtrot Futoška 23, 622-904
• Pipping Cafe Club in the Cultural Center of Novi Sad. Katolička porta 5
• NS Time Bul. Despota Stefana bb
• Absolut Zmaj Jovina 12
• Pivnica Gusan Zmaj Jovina 12 - one of the best pubs
• Irish Pub, Zmaj Jovina 28, ☎ [phone]. An Irish pub (updated Mar 2017)
• Big mama Zmaj Jovina 2, 613-442
• Sterija Pozorišni trg 1
• Models Ilije Ognjanovića 24, 612-058
• Cafe Club Bar Ego 622-029
• Klub Hedonist, Zmaj Jovina 26. 529-438 (updated Mar 2017)
• Club Soul, Svetozara Miletica 40 (City Center). only electronic music, after parties & free entrance 
• Cafe Porta, Katolicka porta 6, ☎ [phone]. Nice and quiet place in the center of Novi Sad 

Sleep

Budget

• Bela Lada, , street Kisačka 21. Phone: [phone] or [phone], fax: [phone], [e-mail]. From €12 per person/per night private single room. 5 minutes' walk from the Exit Festival or the Danube promenade, the Dunavska street and Petrovaradinska tvrdjava. Address: Restaurant - Kisačka street 21, Rooms - Zlatne Grede street 15. Bela Lada is also an international restaurant with Gypsy music, where you can try all kinds of wine. On the wall of the restaurant are 2000 different bottles of wine from all over the world. Contact and reservation information Phone: [phone], Mobile: [phone], Fax and email as shown above.
• Downtown Hostel, Njegoseva 2, ☎ [phone]. Very central hostel close to many bars and restaurants. €11-18 per night. 
• Hostel Podbara, Djordja Rajkovica 28, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Located less than 10 minutes walk from City Centre. Internet and WiFi. €9-25. 
• Hostel Sova, Ilije Ognjanovica 26, ☎ [phone]. Near the main city square, friendly service, clean. €10/night. 
• Hostel Smile, Bulevar Oslobodjenja 48, ☎ [phone]. in the vicinity of the Main Train and Bus station. $16.21 or €13.50. 
• Hotel Boem Branka Radičevića 5 21205 Sremski Karlovci (7 km from Novi Sad). Phone: [phone], [e-mail]. From €17.

Mid-range

• CitiHotel Veliki, Nikole Pašića 24, e-mail: [e-mail]. Novi Sad 021-4723840. Comfortable apartments, free wi-fi. From €30. 
• Fontana, Nikole Pašića 17, ☎ [phone]. Average rooms above the restaurant, also a huge apartment. Very friendly staff though limited English. From €25 per night. 
• Novi Sad, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Bulevar Jase Tomića. From €34. 
• Hotel Braća Drinić, Branka Ćopića 122, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Nice and modern rooms from €25. 

Splurge

• Hotel Prezident". 5 star, part of the Best Western hotels, Futoska 109 
• Hotel Park 35 Novosadskog sajma, just opened. €50-400/bed, breakfast, swimming pool, sauna, without a residence tax.
• Hotel Zenit, Zmaj Jovina 8, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. From €50. Well air-conditioned rooms, rich and multifarious buffet. Rooms are always clean and spotless. Hospitable and very polite staff. If you book in advance you can even reserve a parking space for your vehicle. 
• Hotel Leopold I On the famous Petrovaradin fortress, spectacular views to the Novi Sad, 58 twin or double rooms and apartments, satellite TV, internet, car park.
• Hotel Mediteraneao. Very close to Zenit, new and modern 
• Hotel Gymnas, Teodora Pavlovica 28, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. B&B Hotel with the largest fitness centre in the city. All guests enjoy complimentary use of gym and sauna. €45-110. 
• Garni Hotel Panorama, 1A Futoska Street, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Located in the business part of the city offering all possible amenities to businessmen and other demanding travelers. Employees speak English, Dutch, and Italian. 

Go next

If you have enjoyed Novi Sad, you should also consider visiting:

• Sremski Karlovci — beautiful small town just 8 km from Novi Sad with well preserved architecture. Annual "Wine Festival" is held there every September.
• Fruška Gora — national park and mountain on the southern side of the Danube, famous for its marathon and many monasteries.
• Palić lake — very popular summer resort among locals, near Subotica.
• Sombor — sleepy little town full of friendly locals, delightful architecture and a good nightlife scene despite its small size. The local theatre is worth seeing but it's closed during summer.
• Belgrade
• Subotica
• Hungary
• Croatia